Scottish Executive

Audiology

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to recommendation 19 of NHS Audiology Services in Scotland, what other professionals are being considered for further training to enable them to provide care to people in need of audiology services but unable to access them due to any shortage of audiologists in their area.

Mr Tom McCabe: The modernisation action plans, which NHS boards have been asked to prepare in relation to audiology services, will identify the functions and areas in which the training of other staff suggested in recommendation 19 might be appropriate. In rural areas, for example, this could involve the training of GP practice nurses in the fitting of hearing aid batteries. Training of this type would be delivered by staff working in the NHS board area involved.

Cancer

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will advise local authorities and NHS boards to support services that provide financial advice and support to people affected by cancer such as the partnership between Macmillan Cancer Relief and Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3559 on 17 November 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search ..

Carers

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support carers.

Mr Tom McCabe: Carers play a vital role in providing services for those they care for. They receive support from various sources, including local authorities, the NHS, and voluntary bodies. The Executive is providing £21 million this year to local authorities for the benefit of carers as well as £250,000 to voluntary bodies providing information and support for them.

Concessionary Travel

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on extending concessionary travel for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

Nicol Stephen: Following discussions with key stakeholders we will shortly commence a formal consultation process on the concessionary fares commitments outlined in A Partnership for a Better Scotland . These commitments include the introduction of a national free off-peak bus scheme for older people and people with disabilities. The consultation process will run for three months and a decision will then be made on the timescale for delivery.

Domestic Abuse

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a register of those convicted of domestic violence.

Ms Margaret Curran: We have no plans to introduce such a register. Any proposals for a register of this kind would be subject to consultation before a final decision was taken.

Fisheries

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in determining the extent of illegal fishing outside European Union quotas and regulations.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency devotes significant resources to the monitoring, control and enforcement of fisheries related legislation. However, illegal activity, by its very nature is clandestine and, therefore, difficult to quantify. Nonetheless, variations in the patterns of suspected illegal landings are gauged from intelligence received by the agency through the regular monitoring of the movements and landing arrangements of fishing vessels and the reaction of fishermen when their vessels and catches are the subject of inspection.

  The agency's resources are utilised with the objective of deterring and detecting such illegal activity.

Football

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance can be provided to Dundee Football Club to help minimise job losses during the period of administration and restructuring.

Mr Frank McAveety: Any job losses are regrettable but Dundee Football Club is now in administration and decisions on the future of the club are a matter for the administrators. The Executive has no direct locus and Dundee Football Club have not sought Executive assistance.

  Strong partnerships already exist between local enterprise companies, local authorities, Jobcentre Plus and Careers Scotland. These partners have considerable experience in responding to redundancy situations and can offer advice, support and guidance on the range of retraining, upskilling and employment opportunities.

Football

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what strategy it has for assisting football clubs that find themselves in financial difficulties.

Mr Frank McAveety: The running of football clubs is a matter for their owners and directors and in some cases their supporters and shareholders. It is for them to manage the club's resources so that the club can operate on a viable and sustainable basis. It is not for the Executive to impose this discipline on football clubs.

General Practitioners

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs (a) ceased to practice as principals and (b) took up posts as principals in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information for the most recent years available is as follows:

  


Health Board


1 October 1999 to 30 September 2000

1 October 2000 to 30 September 2001


1 October 2001 to 30 September 2002




(a)

(b)

(a)

(b)

(a)

(b)



Argyll and Clyde

13

17

15

20

16

15



Ayrshire and Arran 

14

13

10

9

14

14



Borders 

2

1

3

3

4

5



Dumfries and Galloway 

2

5

2

4

13

10



Fife   

6

9

12

11

11

13



Forth Valley 

10

8

7

5

6

9



Grampian 

22

25

10

23

20

22



Greater Glasgow

16

15

23

26

28

25



Highland   

12

11

6

15

19

19



Lanarkshire 

15

14

9

12

7

9



Lothian  

26

27

20

36

26

31



Orkney   

5

4

-

1

-

-



Shetland   

1

3

1

3

2

1



Tayside   

9

12

12

12

14

16



Western Isles  

2

1

3

2

1

1



Scotland

155

165

133

182

181

190

Genetically Modified Crops

Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the conclusion by the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission in its report GM Crops? Coexistence and Liability  that GM crops cannot be grown commercially without contaminating conventional and organic crops.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive welcomes the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission report on coexistence and liability and will consider the recommendations very carefully before responding in due course.

Health

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health and Community Care will next meet representatives of NHS Forth Valley and what issues will be discussed.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have no immediate plans to do so. Regular discussions take place, however, between the Scottish Executive and representatives of NHS boards, on a variety of issues.

Justice

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the effectiveness of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in New York and the potential for the application of a similar scheme in Scotland.

Cathy Jamieson: The Executive is aware of Red Hook project and we are currently considering whether it would bring added benefits to what we are already doing in Scotland.

Mental Health

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the new strategy for the provision of mental health services for the Lothian area to be announced.

Mr Tom McCabe: Lothian NHS Board is aiming to achieve agreement on the overall strategic direction and key principles for reshaping the mental health services, by the end of January 2004. A full public consultation, from May to September 2004, will follow.

Organ Transplants

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are on the waiting list for an organ transplant and what the average waiting time is for such an operation.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are 466 people on the active waiting list for an organ transplant at Scottish units, 435 of them waiting for a kidney transplant. The national UK median waiting time for a kidney is 700 days, for a heart 132 days and for a liver 70 days. The main factor affecting these waiting times is the availability of suitable donor organs.

Schools

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools will need to have new classrooms built to meet its target to reduce class sizes in English and maths in S1 and S2 to a maximum of 20.

Peter Peacock: Any need for additional classrooms in particular schools, consequent on our commitment to increase teacher numbers to 53,000 by 2007, will be influenced by issues such as local school occupancy levels, future pupil numbers and effectiveness of timetabling. It is for education authorities to consider these issues in the first instance.

Scottish Executive Agencies

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making with its review of the location of its Edinburgh-based executive agency, Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Hugh Henry: Following a thorough review of the options for relocating Accountant in Bankruptcy, and careful scrutiny of social and economic conditions, business efficiency and sustainable transport and accessibility, it has been agreed that Ayrshire provides the best value location.

  Suitable premises are being sought, and the move is likely to take place over the next two years.

Sport

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to assist in the improvement of golfing skills.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Executive is investing in the Clubgolf initiative which was launched earlier this year by the First Minister and Colin Montgomerie at Gleneagles.

Teachers

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address any difficulties faced by the Highland education service regarding the recruitment of qualified secondary teachers for posts in remote areas such as Kinlochbervie.

Peter Peacock: The Executive puts considerable effort into ensuring that the right number of teachers are trained, but is not involved in recruiting teachers. Recruitment is a matter for local authorities.

  Highland Council, working in partnership with Aberdeen University, is addressing its primary teacher recruitment problem by supporting students on a part-time, postgraduate certificate of education course which is being delivered on a distance learning basis. It is open to the council to make similar arrangements for secondary teachers with one of the seven universities that offer courses of initial teacher education.

Water Supply

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Water about the current level of water stocks.

Allan Wilson: My officials are in regular contact with the relevant people in Scottish Water and they have been keeping ministers informed about the up to date situation.